New York officials deflected recent critiques against the nation’s largest subway system this week; publicly blaming riders for “smelly” and “overcrowded” trains and stations that service over five million people per day.

According to the Wall Street Journal, officials at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority are launching a new campaign to inform riders how to improve the massive transit system; urging users to “be patient” and refrain from cramming into already-crowded trains.

“You want reliable transit. We want to give it you,” said MTA subway boss Andy Byford. “You have a part to play in this.”

“That’s ridiculous,” said one subway rider. “What’s causing the delays is their incompetence.”

“Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared a state of emergency last year following a pileup of rush-hour disruptions and a subway derailment that injured dozens. The MTA is spending more than $800 million fixing and cleaning tracks and upgrading signals,” writes the WSJ.